Moving an Unmovable Object
by Jdragonfire29
Summary: Takes place after Mary's return from Mexico.  Mary is determined to fix what she broke, between her and Marshall.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: I do not own In Plain Sight and this is strictly for non-profit entertainment value._

Moving An Unmovable Object

Tense, that was the best way to describe how things were between Marshall and I. He was closed off, distant since I got back from my vacation. I also found out he was seeing someone, some red head from Albuquerque PD. To make it worse, I didn't find out from him. I saw him with her, when I was out to dinner with Peter and Brandi. I know that he thinks, I completely blew off what he said to me before vacation. How can he not have known, I wouldn't leap at the idea. Our relationship, friendship, partnership...is too much to risk, I suck at relationships. I ruin people. I know he loves me and as hard as it is to admit, I love him too. I'm honestly, not sure how to fix this mess I fucking created. He deserves better then me.

Soo now I am sitting here in the office alone, having been lost in my hailstorm of thoughts. Marshall left the office two hours ago, which is what started my brain whirling and Stan just left. God, I hate paperwork. Who knows maybe tomorrow will be better...though I doubt it.

* * *

><p>"You two, my office, now." Stan hollered for Mary and Marshall, both rolling their eyes at his attempt at coming off, as the authority figure in the office. "We have a new witness being emergency transferred here. I need you two, to meet at the extraction point. Be careful, somehow this witness has been located at every location they were placed at."<p>

"Sounds like a leak..." Marshall was concerned.

Mary remained quiet. 'So much for today being better, I have a bad feeling about this case.'

"Nobody, will know where you are taking them, except me. You need to leave in the hour, to get there on time." Stan handed them each a file, containing the intel. They walked out of the office, heading to their desks to wrap everything up.

Mary was all ready to go, since she was there late finishing her paperwork. "I'm ready, whenever you are. I just need to get my go bag from my car." Marshall looked at her surprised. She grabbed all the paperwork, walked in and handed it to Stan. "Here's all the paperwork I owe you. I also started the paperwork, for the upcoming cases for next week." She turned and left, leaving a surprised by happy boss behind. Five minutes later, she came back with a small rolling suitcase and sat at her desk.

"New bag?" Marshall was used to her raggy duffel.

"Yeah, more efficient packing space and I can fit extra 'just in case' gear." Mary knew she had him curious, but didn't elaborate further.

"Ookay, should be done in a few." He went back to his paperwork, looking morose.

They left the office on time, getting into their truck, driving in silence. 'I have him captive for four hours, now or never.' "Are we ever going to talk about the proverbial elephant in the room?" Ha, take that Marshall, that has to get you talking.

"Who are you and what have you done with Mary Shannon? That didn't sound like you. You don't like to talk, you like to run." He came out swinging.

"I am trying to fix this...us." She kept her voice sincere and her temper in check.

"What do you want from me, Mary?" Marshall was uneasy, not really prepared for this conversation at all. 'What is she playing at here?'

"Honesty..." She paused. "Did you really think, I would leap into your arms after what you said before my vacation?" Marshall didn't say anything and his jaw tensed, so she continued. "You know me. I avoid and we both know my relationships...are never good. Did you not get, that you were too important to me to risk that?"

"Alright, how about you...did you think I expected you to rush? I expected you to at least think about it, not to be blown off." His tone was hurt and angry.

"Honestly Marshall, I didn't think at all and I am sorry." She was staring at him, hoping he knew she meant it. "It doesn't matter now anyway, you are with someone." She broke her gaze at him and turned to look at the window.

"What? How did you..." He was honestly surprised.

"I saw you, when I was at dinner with Peter and Brandi." Her tone clearly showed her hurt.

"Why would it matter?" He honestly wondered, but in a way was happy she was hurt too.

"As I said, it doesn't matter now, you have someone." She continued to stare out the window and silence once again overtook them, both lost in thought. The tension between them had amplified.

* * *

><p>They arrived at the extraction point, with a few minutes to spare. As soon as Marshall parked, Mary was out of the car. "Strange location for a pickup..." Marshall was now beside her, observing the area. "I don't like this. Something is off about this whole thing."<p>

"I agree." He spotted three people walking toward them. "There, on our ten."

Mary looked to where Marshall directed. "Two marshals and our witness?" Mary changed her stance, ready to grab her gun.

'That's my girl, always ready to jump in.' He smiled, loving his battle ready partner. "Let's go." Mary followed his lead and they walked toward the approaching group.

"Marshals Shannon and Mann?" The two men looked nefarious, addressing them and Marshall knew something wasn't right. The witness looked petrified, a Daniel Mantum.

"Yes." He showed his credentials. Mary continued to stand at the ready. "Credential's please?" Marshall was keeping it light. The two men pulled their credentials, allowing Marshall to view them. "Is there a problem here?" Marshall looked from the two men and the witness.

"No, just anxious to hand this one off, man is a danger magnet." The marshals voice was gruff and angry. "All yours now. Good luck." The two marshals walked away leaving a very annoyed Mary, staring after them.

"Assholes." Mary was pissed, but the witness smiled a bit. "You alright?" Marshall thought she was talking to him, till he saw her focus on Mantum.

"Yes, there was trouble getting me here." Daniel was calmer, seemingly happy that Mary at least spoke with him.

"Define, trouble?" Marshall spoke now, clearly worried.

"We were followed and a few shots were taken at us. They had me hunkered down, on the floor of the truck most of the way here." Daniel was rattled.

"Let's go." Mary grabbed Daniel's arm, leading him to the car and Marshall was running to catch up to them. "I take it from your reaction, the other two marshals were assholes to you?"

Daniel laughed. "They barely spoke to me, I guess they knew I was a trouble witness. This will be my fifth relocation." He seemed solemn as he got into the back of the truck.

"Fifth! Hmm...you are going to be a fun one." Without asking, Mary just hopped in the driver seat. She took a different route, taking them off the highway. Her instinct telling her to get away from original route they took. "How long have you been in program?" Marshall gave her a questioning look, knowing full well it was in the file.

"Just a few months." Daniel was happy to talk, he seemed to relax knowing they weren't treating him like crap.

'A few months..." Mary's mind was going to scary places and she could feel Marshall s gaze on her. "Daniel, what happened to bring you into the program? I mean were you hurt or hospitalized?"

"Yeah actually, I witnessed a hit. I ran, but was shot trying to get away. Lucky for me, police were showing up, before they could finish me off." He was a sweet kid, young.

"He's tagged." Mary looked at Marshall, hoping he was coming to same conclusion.

"What do you mean I am tagged?" Daniel was panicking again.

"It means, that probably while in the hospital for your injury, they basically lo jacked you." Marshall was trying to think of the best way to handle this.

"We need to find a veterinary office." Mary was driving faster, trying to get to the next town.

Marshall looked at her, surprised she thought of it before him. "Good idea." He pulled out his phone and dialed information, asking for a vet in the approaching town. "Got it. We need to turn off onto Rte 513 and take that to first stop light. Vet office should be there."

"Why are we going to a vet?" Daniel was looking between Marshall and Mary, trying to figure out what was going on.

"The vet's have a device, they use to locate chips for lost pets and some of the newer chips have gps in them. We think we can use that, to locate a chip, if any, on you." Marshall was talking, as Mary was focused on driving.

"If there is a chip?"

"We get it out." Marshall locked eyes with the young man in the back seat.

"I was afraid you were going to say that." Daniel slumped in the seat and was now dreading this again.

"Good thing is, if that is what they have been using to tag you, this should stop them from finding you again." Marshall was trying to paint a good picture, occasionally glancing at Mary.

"There it is." Mary pulled into the parking lot and got out. "Let's go." Both kept their eyes on surrounding area as they entered the office, which was mercifully empty. "Hello?"

"I'm sorry, we are closed for the day." A middle aged man walked out, surprised to see anyone.

"We realize, we are US Marshals and have a bit of a situation." Marshall was better at this so he spoke, while Mary kept near the window watching the road. "We are transporting a witness, who we believe may be chipped. Do you have one of the wands they use for detecting chips in animals?"

"Why yes, but I have never heard of anyone chipping a person?" The doctor was uneasy. "Step over here." He grabbed the wand, waving it over Daniel and it beeped over his thigh. "I'll be damned."

"Not good." Marshall sighed, Daniel looked damn near petrified. "Can you get it out?"

"I need to x-ray him, to see how deep it is, this way." Marshall went with Daniel, leaving Mary to stand watch. "There it is. It's a little deep."

"Can you get it out? We need to take the chip with us, active, to lead them away from here." Marshall wanted the Doctor to pick up, that they didn't have time for this.

"Alright..." he stuck Daniel in the leg with a local anesthetic to numb the area and cut. Daniel was looking away toward the door. "There it is." The doctor took it out and put it in a blank prescription bottle. Put a few stitches and bandaged Daniel up.

"Thank you Doctor. How much do we owe?"

"Honestly, I wouldn't know what to charge you. It's fine, just go, I really don't want any trouble here."

"Understood, thank you." Marshall helped Daniel up and went back out to Mary with the chip in hand. "Let's go."

Mary was once again in the driver seat, as they took off. She was driving fast away from where they stopped, hoping that whoever gave chase would follow and not bother the Doctor. "That the chip?" She was eyeing the bottle in his hand.

"Yup."

"Shit. I was really hoping I was wrong." She huffed. "I feel like I am in a bad spy movie."

Marshall just laughed. "It was a good call." He had the map out, looking for the best place to dispose of the chip. "Turn here." She turned and he smiled. "I think we solved our problem. Pull over." Mary pulled over, looking at him confused. "Water, this bottle should be buoyant enough to float with the current, sending them on a wild goose chase."

"Brilliant..." Mary just smiled, as he got out and pitched the bottle into the water. He hopped back in smiling, proud of himself, as she pulled away.

"Question...what happens if the bottle sinks?" Daniel's voice asked from the back seat.

"Then the signal will be lost, due to the density of the water." Marshall turned to look at Daniel. "Then they hunt us."

They were maybe five miles from where he tossed the bottle into the creek, when she spotted someone following them. "We have company." Marshall turned to see the truck gaining on them, Mary floored it. "Daniel, get down. Marshall..." She looked at him. "Call Stan."

He nodded, pulling his cell out, dialing Stan. "Stan, we have a problem with the package...there was a bug...long story but taken care of...we have a tail...ten miles outside of Alamosa...will do, thanks." He hung up and looked behind them seeing the truck was gaining. "Cavalry is coming. We just need to keep them off us a little while longer."

"They should have caught up by now...we are being herded." Mary was looking ahead, trying to determine where to turn off. "Hold on." She quickly took a turn and the truck blew past the turn in the rear view. Marshall pulled out his gun, checking around them and no longer saw their pursuers. "That was too easy."

Marshall was feeling the same apprehension as his partner. "You're right, something isn't right with this...at least we know it isn't a mole."

"Oh yes, I am all warm with comfort." Mary bit back. "Shit!" She took another sharp turn, slamming Marshall into the door and causing Daniel to yell. "Different truck, there are two of them."

Marshall knew the situation had just turned dire. "Where is the other one?"

"Don't know, but this one has no problem catching up. He is right on us." Their truck was at maximum speed. She jammed the breaks, taking another turn. The pursuing truck swerved to miss them and crashed into a tree. "Yes!"

"One down, good job!" Marshall was thrilled, she shook one of the trucks.

Mary saw the other truck coming at them in the approaching intersection and knew they were going to ram Marshall's side. She turned the wheel hard, effectively moving his side opposite the impending impact.

"NOOOO!" He looked to Mary, realizing what she did, as the truck slammed into them and everything faded to black.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: I do not own In Plain Sight and this is strictly for non-profit entertainment value._

Moving An Unmovable Object

Marshall's eyes opened, his vision slowly coming into focus. His hand gripped his gun and he looked over to where they were hit. His heart dropped at the sight of his partner, but before he could examine her, he caught movement from their pursuers truck. He raised his arm, ready to fire. The glint of a weapon from the driver side, caused Marshall to fire first. The man groaned and fell. Marshall aimed toward the passenger door, seeing a figure duck low, out of Marshall's sight line.

"Daniel, if you can here me keep down." Marshall kept his voice low, but commanding. Still trying to assure the safety of their witness. He carefully moved toward Mary's slumped form, the seatbelt was awkwardly holding her, preventing her from falling over towards Marshall. He felt for a pulse, it was there but faint. "Mare...you stay with me." He gave her hand a squeeze, wishing for some reaction. He looked in the sideview mirrors and saw nobody. He knew there was another man out there, Marshall climbed over the seat, keeping his gun pointed towards the other truck. Daniel was half conscious on the floor. "Stay down."

Marshall looked around the perimeter of the truck, catching movement heading toward the passenger side of their vehicle. He quickly moved to the passenger door and glanced out the window to see a man squat down outside the door. Marshall pulled the door handle, kicking the door open hard, knocking the assassin off balance and Marshall fired. "Two down." Marshall got out, closing the passenger door quietly and inched his way over to the other vehicle. He ripped open the rear door and found the truck empty. There were just the two men, both dead. There was still the other truck, that Mary managed to lose. They could be here soon depending on how bad their truck was damaged. He went back to their truck, finding his cell on the floor and dialed Stan. "Stan!...no, not good...we need a medical chopper...Mary...no idea where we are, they drove their truck into us...took out two men, we have another truck of perps, location unknown at moment...you should see us when you fly over, we are at an intersection...hurry." He hung up, climbing into the truck to check on Daniel and Mary. "Daniel?" Marshall looked over the seat.

"Yeah, we alright?" The kid was scared, but sounded to be lucid.

"For now, help is on the way. How bad you hurt?"

"Just hit my head." He still sounded groggy.

"Ok, stay down to be safe." Marshall put his focus on Mary, keeping his gun ready, in case they had more friends show up. "Mare?" Checking her pulse again, a small reassurance that she was still alive. "Mare, you hear me?" There was blood on the left side of her head, more then likely from the window. He got on his knees, leaning over to check her left side. "Oh...jesus..." The door was crushed in, part of the door impaled in her side. There was blood from mid chest, down to her hip. 'I can't do anything. Moving her could make any injury worse. Jesus...what was she thinking?' "Mare? I would feel better, if you opened your eyes for me..." He gently took her hand, holding it, hoping she knew he was with her. He scanned the area, still seeing no sign of the other truck. She made a small noise and his eyes went wide. "I'm right here Mare."

"Marsh..l" Her eyes opened slightly, her face wincing in pain. "You ok?"

"Christ...Mare, don't worry about me, I'm fine..." He couldn't believe she was worrying about him at this point.

"Daniel?"

"Im fine, Mary." Daniel called from the back seat, causing Mary to smile slightly. "Relax..."

"Mary, doesn't know how to relax." Marshall was trying to distract her, seeing she was in pain and he hated he couldn't help. Her eyes opened more and she tried to move, crying out in pain.

"Dammit Mare. Stay put. Choppers should be here soon." Marshall held onto her hand, his other hand releasing his gun to run his hand over her hair. "We can't move you, without risking making you worse."

"Mmhmm...sorry." She closed her eyes, trying to think of something but the pain. Marshall gave her hand a squeeze, making her smile a bit.

Marshall wondered what caused her to smile and couldn't help but ask. "Mare, what was the smile for?"

"Song...in my head..." Mary's voice was weaker and he could see she was bleeding more since she moved.

"A song, interesting...care to share?" He wanted, no, he needed to keep her talking.

"Chas..ing cars." Her breathing was becoming raspy.

"Because we were chased?" Marshall smiled a bit, happy she was still talking.

"No." Mary laughed, which caused her to cough and a small trickle of blood dripped from her mouth. Mary didn't notice, but Marshall did. Fear gripped him tighter. "It's us..."

He smiled, happy that she was thinking about them. "Never heard of a song called Chasing Cars, I will have to check that out."

"Always ma..kes me...thi..nk you.." Her voice was broken and raspy, till it finally just trailed off and she was unconscious. Marshall put his fingers to her neck to check her pulse, it was there but it was faint.

Relief swept through him, as he heard the approaching choppers. "Thank god. Here that Mare, help is here. Just hold on for me." The medics from the chopper ran over and Marshall moved out of the truck, to allow them to work. "Daniel, it's safe to get out." Daniel climbed out and stood beside Marshall.

Stan ran over from the other chopper with two other agents. "Marshall...you alright?"

"Banged up, but fine." Marshall looked back to the truck. "It's Mary I am worried about."

"How bad?" Stan was looking at the truck, trying to see her, but the crew was blocking his view.

Marshall's jaw clenched to reign in his emotions. "Bad." His eyes locked with Stan. "She turned the truck, so she was hit and not me."

Stan nodded. "I'm not surprised, you would have done the same if you were driving." Stan looked to Daniel. "Mr. Mantum, I am Stan McQueen. These two marshals are going to get you out of here."

Daniel looked to Marshall. "I don't want to leave, till I know she is alright."

Marshall smiled. "Don't worry, we will let you know how she is. For your safety though, you have to go with them." He could tell Daniel wasn't happy, but he left with the two marshals. Stan and Marshall were both focused on the truck, trying to listen to the medics.

"We need to be careful. The door is in her side, we have to be quick once the truck is moved." There were three medics and a doctor from the hospital the chopper came from. The fire company was there now, helping to get the wreckage clear in order to get Mary out. "BP s dropping! Gotta do this now!" The doctor was frantically trying to keep fluids in Mary from the IV line they inserted. There was a spine tingling crunch, making Marshall and Stan wince, as they pulled away the other truck. The door to their truck went with it, pulling out of Mary. "Shit...bleeder, we have a bleeder. Let's move now!" They extracted Mary from the truck, getting her onto a gurney, starting for the chopper. Marshall and Stan ran behind them. "We can't take both of you."

"Marshall, you go, I will get a ride back." Marshall gave Stan a nod and climbed into the chopper before it took off.

Marshall was near Mary's head, off to the side, out of the way of the medical team. "Mare, keep fighting." His voice was urgent and thick with emotion. "You cannot leave me." Her eyes opened, groaning in pain, as the doctor worked to stop the bleeding. "Hey...good girl." Her face scrunched up, Marshall could see the doctor working on stopping the bleeding from her abdomen. "Focus on me. Forget everything else ok."

"K." Her voice pained, but she focused on Marshall face.

"You were wrong you know." Mary's eyes were locked with his, trying to stay awake. "It does matter." She looked confused. "Our conversation from earlier." He could see the realization in her eyes. "I am not with her, it was just a date." He smiled, running his fingers in her hair. "You always matter to me Mare."

She smiled softly. "Good to know..." Pain shot through her, her eyes slammed shut and her body tensed.

"Mare? Stay with me." Marshall looked over at the doctor and for the first time noticed the amount of blood on the floor. "Marshall Shannon, you keep awake. Fight dammit." Her skin had taken on a grey parlor and was cool to the touch. A solid beep rang through the chopper. "Oh god no"

"Epi!" "Charging...Clear!" Marshall removed his hands from Mary, as they shocked her. "She's back." They landed a minute later. Unloading her from the chopper, onto an elevator with Marshall beside her.

Marshall knew they were about to stop him from following as he saw the operating room doors approaching. "Mare, you fight...don't leave me ok." He kissed her forehead and watched as she disappeared through the OR doors.

One of the EMT's that helped get Mary here, was standing beside Marshall. "You have a strong woman there. It's amazing she's still here. She is a fighter."

Marshall nodded, his jaw tense, eyes tearing up. "She's my partner."

"She's more then that..." The EMT smiled and headed back to the elevator, back to the chopper, leaving Marshall standing there silently agreeing. She was everything to him.

"Sir?" A nurse touched him on the shoulder. "Are you with the Marshal that was just brought in?" Marshall nodded. "We have a private waiting room for you, a Marshal McQueen arranged it. He said he would be a few hours as he wrapped up the scene." She led him to the room and he sat down in one of the chairs, feeling all the energy leave him.

His mind was running through everything that happened the last few hours. He knew it would be hours, before they knew anything more on Mary. He pulled out his phone and googled the song Mary mentioned. He found a site that gave lyrics and he smiled at the band name.

_Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol_

_We ll do it all  
><em>_Everything  
>On our own<br>We don't need  
>Anything<br>Or anyone  
>If I lay here<br>If I just lay here  
>Would you lie with me<br>And just forget the world?_  
><em>I don't quite know<br>How to say  
>How I feel<br>Those three words  
>Are said too much<br>They're not enough  
>If I lay here<br>If I just lay here  
>Would you lie with me<br>And just forget the world?_  
><em>Forget what we're told<br>Before we get too old  
>Show me a garden<br>That's bursting full of life._  
><em>Let's waste time<br>Chasing cars  
>Around out heads<br>I need your grace  
>To remind me<br>To find my own  
>If I lay here<br>If I just lay here  
>Would you lie with me<br>And just forget the world  
>Forget what were told<br>Before we get too old  
>Show me a garden<br>That's bursting into life  
>All that I am<br>All that I ever was  
>It's here in your perfect eyes<br>They're all I can see  
>I don't know where<br>Confused about how as well  
>Just know that these things<br>Will never change for us at all  
>If I lay here<br>If I just lay here  
>Would you lie with me<br>And just forget the world._

_B_y the time he finished reading the lyrics, he was sobbing. "Oh Mare..." His chest tight. The image of her, bleeding out in the chopper, flashed through his mind. "Don't you dare give up Mare." He leaned his head against the wall, his crying slowed, wiping his face, closed his eyes and waited.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: I do not own In Plain Sight and this is strictly for non-profit entertainment value. Thank you all for reviews and alerts. :) _

Moving An Unmovable Object

Stan walked in to the waiting room, seeing Marshall leaned back against the wall, his eyes closed. He looked asleep. Stan quietly sat down in a chair across from him, not to disturb him.

"I'm awake." Marshall opened his eyes, looking over at Stan. "No news on her yet." Marshall paused. "Did you find the other truck?"

Stan shook his head. "We found evidence of another crash, but they were long gone." He could see Marshall was frustrated. "The package is secure."

"Good...that's good." Marshall and Stan sat in silence, waiting for news.

* * *

><p>Six hours after Stan's arrival, a doctor came into to speak with them. "You are here for Mary Shannon." Both men nodded and the doctor motioned for them to remain seated. "Ms. Shannon is in recovery now and we will be moving her to ICU shortly. Her hip, femur and four ribs are broken all on her left side. We removed part of her large intestine. We were able to repair the damage to her kidney and lung. She suffered considerable blood loss. That is our primary concern right now, in conjunction with the head trauma she suffered. Regretfully, she is in a coma." Marshall paled. "We won't know if there is any brain damage or memory loss until she comes to."<p>

"When will that be?" Marshall's voice was detached.

"I'm sorry, but that I cannot say. The longer she is unconscious, the less likely she will."

Marshall gripped the arms of the chair to steady himself. "You're saying...there is a possibility of her not..." Marshall's voice cracked and he couldn't bring himself to finish his question.

"I m sorry, this is always a risk with coma patients." The doctor paused. "A nurse will come and get you, when she ready for visitors in ICU." With that the doctor left, leaving Stan and Marshall quietly thinking of everything they just heard.

Less then a minute passed and Marshall was on his feet pacing. "Absolutely not..." He paced, running his fingers through his hair, clearly coming apart. "This is Mary, she will wake up. She is too stubborn to..." His voice trailed off.

"She will wake up Marshall...she will." Stan finished for him, still sitting, not trusting his legs to stand yet.

A nurse showed them to her room, a little while later. Marshall didn't hesitate. He walked right over to her bedside, leaned over and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I'm here...Mare."

Stan hesitated entering the room, taking in the sight of all the tubes and wires connected to her pale form. After the shooting over a year ago, he hoped to never see her this way again. Stan sat down in a chair near the door, away from the bed, giving Marshall some privacy with her. He watched him kiss her forehead, sit and take her hand. He knew Marshall had been in love with Mary for years. Her death would break him. He listened to Marshall telling Mary random facts, till he finally drifted to sleep.

Marshall noticed Stan fall asleep. "Mare, you're missing our boss sleeping like a baby, in a rather uncomfortable looking chair." He smiled, knowing she would tease the man. "We need to talk Mare." He brushed her hair behind her ear. "You have had a rough couple years. I get that...you need a break. But I really need you to be alright and wake up." He looked over her form, noting that her color had improved and if there were no tubes or wires, it would look like she was sleeping. "So here is the deal...you get as much rest as you need and I will be right here waiting for you to wake up."

* * *

><p>Three days passed, Marshall kept his word and never left her side. He looked like hell, stubble on his face, hair a mess and his suit crumpled. Stan was worried and knew he needed to step in. He took a breath, before entering Mary's room. "Marshall, here is your go bag. I already cleared it, there is a staff locker room for you to use to clean up." He could see Marshall open his mouth to argue. "No. That is an order. Go. I will sit with her. When you get back, I will go pick us up some food." Marshall slumped his shoulders in resignation. "It's down this corridor on the left." Once Marshall was out of the room, Stan took over Marshall's vigil. "Mary, you need to wake up. Marshall needs you, more then you realize." Stan sighed and said more quietly. "Hell...we all do." Marshall was back less then forty minutes later. He still looked disheveled, but it was an improvement. "Better." Stan got up, letting Marshall retake his place beside Mary. "I will be back with food."<p>

"Hey Mare...I'm back. Sorry about that, Stan forced me to step out." Marshall kissed her forehead, sat down and resumed holding her hand. "You know at some point, I will have to call Eleanor and have her fly here to take care of Stan." Marshall shook his head sadly. "We are a mess here, Mare." He looked up to her face again and was shocked to see her eyes opened. "Mare?" He hit the call button and a nurse ran in. "Her eyes are open." But when he looked back they were closed. "I swear, they were just open." The nurse knew the man hadn't slept and at first thought he was hallucinating, until she saw Mary's eyes open again.

"Ms. Shannon?" Mary blinked, looking at the nurse confused.

"Mare, it's alright." Mary's eyes held no recognition and his heart clenched. "Mare, say something?" A doctor walked in, asking questions to find her unresponsive. Her eyes fluttered closed again. Marshall was frantic. "Does this mean, she doesn't remember anything?"

"Mr. Mann, please calm down. Let's step outside." They walked out of her room as Stan approached. "This can happen with coma patients. They can have brief periods of awakenings and very little clarity. We will monitor her and evaluate as her awake periods increase in duration. Please do not take this as a bad sign."

"What the hell did I miss?" Stan was concerned, noting Marshall lost face.

"Ms. Shannon had a brief period of awakening, but had no reaction to Mr. Mann or made movement to speak. As I told Mr. Mann, this is common with coma patients. We need to wait it out, she has been though major trauma."

"Understood." Stan looked to Marshall. "Thank you Doctor." The doctor walked away and Stan grabbed Marshall's shoulders. "Marshall stop." Marshall looked at Stan, his eyes glassy. "It is too soon to think that way. I am sure you knew this from reading it somewhere, you are panicking because it's Mary. Don't give up on her yet." Marshall's head snapped at that and it was the exact reaction Stan wanted from the man.

"I will never give up on her!" Marshall was angry, his hands shook. "I could never give up on her, that would be like asking me to not breath."

Stan knew the stress of everything was wearing Marshall down, no longer hiding his feelings for his partner. "Marshall, she needs you to be you and you are unraveling on us."

Marshall nodded. "You're right, I know you are right." Marshall paused trying to convey what he was feeling. "I feel guilty." Stan looked at him surprised and confused. "She purposely put herself in harms way." Marshall's voice cracked.

"You would have done the same thing and you know it. We went over this." Stan was frustrated with Marshall, which was odd because it was usually at Mary. "She protected the witness. She ensured that you were mobile and safe to protect the witness, after she was out of the equation." Stan watched Marshall lean against the wall. "The two of you are the best team at the Marshal Service, because of just that. You know each other better then people who have been together fifty years." Marshall was looking stunned at his bosses words. "I keep waiting for you two to see it."

Marshall didn't have a response to Stan, he was processing everything he just heard. If he was completely honest with himself, he would admit, he thought he was over romanticizing his relationship with Mary. That he was seeing more to them then there was, but Stan saw it too. "Thank you."

Stan looked at Marshall confused. "For what?"

"Just...thank you." Marshall smiled briefly and went back to Mary s room, resuming his vigil.

Stan smiled, happy to have helped if only a bit. "Here is the food. You alright here, I was going to head out and check in with local office on intel."

Marshall nodded. "Yeah, I'm with Mary, right where I'm supposed to be."

Stan nodded. "Try and get some rest. I will be back to check on you again in the morning." Stan looked at the partners once more, before stepping out.

"Mare, sorry. I had a little freak out there. I'm still here, right beside you no matter what. I will help you through this." He brought her hand to his lips, kissing it softly and waited.

* * *

><p>Over the next two days, Mary had brief periods of awakening. Each a bit longer then the last, but she still hadn't said a word. It was on the seventh day, that she awake and was staring intently at Marshall.<p>

"Hey there, sunshine." He smiled at her, always happy to see her eyes.

She kept her eyes on him, finally speaking one word. "Marshall..."

Marshall felt like his heart was going to burst from his chest. "That's me." He grinned at her wide. Mary smiled softly, but didn't say anything else. She looked around the room, but kept glancing back at Marshall. "Still here don't worry. I am not going anywhere." He squeezed her hand. "We are at University of Colorado Hospital, you were airlifted here, seven days ago." Her eyes went wide. "Hey relax, I know you don't like the time gap but it's alright."

She relaxed a bit, reassured that he was here. "Everything is...fuzzy."

Marshall was practically giddy, hearing her talk more. "It is to be expected. Give it time."

Mary looked at him, really looked. He looked exhausted, circles under his eyes, stubble. She knew then, that she really scared him. "So how broken am I?" Her throat was dry, so her voice came out raspy.

Marshall had pushed the call button, when she first woke up and was hoping the doctor came in soon. "Let's wait for the doctor." Her heart rate went up. "No, no it's alright." Mary was staring at him, urging him to fill in the details. "You have four broken ribs. Your femur and hip are also broken. There was damage to your left lung and kidney, but the doctor repaired it." Marshall took a breath, still holding her hand. "You lost a lot of blood and took a blow to the head from the window."

"Wow..." Mary understood why Marshall was so broken looking. "Basically...I almost died...again."

Marshall pursed his lips and his eyes were glassy, as he tried to reign himself in. "Yeah, you almost did." He reached up and out of habit the last few days, brushed her hair from her face. "I thought I lost you for a bit there."

The doctor chose that moment to walk in. "Ms. Shannon, good to see you awake..." He made a few notes in her chart. "How are you feeling?"

"Fuzzy." Mary was irritated that the doctor interrupted their discussion.

"I need to ask you a few questions to test your memory." Mary gave him a brief nod. "Please tell me the year."

"2011"

"Your bosses name."

"Stan McQueen." Mary squeezed Marshall's hand a bit.

"What is the last thing you remember, clearly?"

Mary was trying to make sense of the images flashing through her head. "The veterinary office..."

The doctor looked over to Marshall. "That was just a bit before the accident, maybe a half hour."

"This is common with this type of trauma. You may regain more memories as you heal." The doctor wrote some more notes in her chart. "I will check on you again later, rest."

"Thank you." Marshall shook his hand before the doctor left. "See, it will come back."

"I remember other things, but flashes not complete." Her frustration was coming through in her tone.

"Don't force it. Please for once just relax." He gave her a lopsided smirk.

"I don't know how to relax, you said so yourself." Mary stopped realizing, she didn't know when he had said it.

"That I did." He smiled, relaxing himself for the first time in a week. "I promise, whatever you don't remember on your own, I will fill in the blanks for you."

She smiled, closing her eyes and drifting to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: I do not own In Plain Sight and this is strictly for non-profit entertainment value. Thank you for all reviews and alerts. _

Moving An Unmovable Object

When Mary woke up the room was dark, with the exception of a dim light emanating from the hallway. She looked over to see Marshall, sound asleep in a chair beside her bed. She just watched him, the regret clearly showing on her face. Marshall started to stir and she quickly pulled herself together.

"Hey..." He smiled groggy. "How long have you been awake?"

"Not long." She looked at him briefly, before looking away. "You should go get some real sleep, in a real bed."

"Nope. I'm good." He smiled at her, even thought she wasn't looking at him.

Mary closed her eyes and took a painful breath. "You and Stan should head back to Albuquerque."

Marshall instantly knew something was wrong. "Mare, I am not leaving you here."

"Yes, you are." Mary felt an ache in her chest, trying to get the words out. "Be serious, you have witnesses that need protecting and Stan has a department to run. I don't need a babysitter." She could feel his eye boring into her. "Trust me from a female perspective, a new girlfriend will not like you gone this long, especially for me." She leaned her head back on the pillow. Her eyes closed again and winced at the growing pain her chest.

Marshall pulled his chair closer to the bed and grabbed her hand, causing her to open her eyes to look at him. "Again, I say no. I am not leaving without you." He could feel her tense. "Do you really want me to leave?"

She closed her eyes. "I want you to be happy and I don't want to screw that up for you."

His heart soared at her words. "The only way you can screw up my happiness, is to push me away." Mary opened her eyes and looked at him as if he was insane, trying to ignore the pain she was feeling. "You don't remember...but we talked about this a bit after the crash." Her brow furrowed, as she tried to think of what the hell they could have said to each other. "You matter. Never say you don't." His words triggered a brief flash of something, but it slipped away as fast as it appeared. "What you saw was one of two dates. I am not with anyone."

"Why?" The question left her before she could stop it.

"Because...she wasn't you." He smiled at her wide eyes.

"Seriously? Marshall...I am no prize or someone who should be held as a standard. I am damaged, to say the least." Mary sat up a bit forgetting her injuries while replying and her eyes slammed shut at the pain that shot through her body.

"Jesus...Mare...easy." Marshall was standing up now, at a loss of how to help without hurting her more. "Stay still."

She kept her eyes shut tight, as she tried to get her body to relax back into the bed and the pain lessened as her movement ceased. "Crap..." She cursed under her breath, opening her eyes to see Marshall standing over her. She knew her eyes were full of tears, threatening to spill over.

"I think more pain medication, would be a good idea." Marshall was hoping she would agree, but had a bad feeling she wouldn't.

"No." Mary took a minute, catching her breath and calming herself. "I don't like the feeling from it."

Marshall sat back down in his chair and watched her body slowly relax. "Mare, you are a wreck. You don't have to worry about how it feels, just stop being a masochist and let me get a nurse."

She looked at him clearly angry. "I am not a masochist. I just don't want to be forced into sleep." She sighed. "If it doesn't ease up or gets worse, I will call for the nurse."

"Fine." He wasn't happy, but at least she agreed if it was worse she would take something. "Back to your earlier comment. I don't need you to tell me, who or what you are. I have been your partner for how many years now? I know who Mary Shannon is and I..." He looked into her eyes, seeing fear and curiosity. "I love you. You because of who you are, not in spit of it...I know what I am getting myself into."

She stared at him. Shock was the prominent feeling, but it was being slowly overcome by a warm ache. She was speechless. "You..."

"Love you." He smiled at her, preparing for her to reject everything he just said. "I have for awhile."

She cocked her head, staring at him with a stunned awe. Her chest tightened and pain shot through her. The monitors started to go haywire.

"Mare?" He stood up and ran out to get help. Mary's doctor and two nurses almost collided with Marshall as they plowed into her room. Her eyes were closed. "What is happening?"

"Call the OR, we need to take her down NOW." The doctor yelled and one of the nurses ran out of the room.

"What happened?" Marshall was frantic at this point and the doctor turned to look at him for second as they started to pull the equipment and wires to wheel her out.

"I believe she threw a clot. I need to get her to an OR to try and remove it." The doctor and nurse started to roll her out.

"PE?" Marshall's voice was broken.

The doctor nodded. "I will update you as soon as I can." They sped out of the room and were gone.

Marshall backed into the wall in her room, sliding down to the floor, his heart breaking knowing that he very well could lose her. He pulled out his phone and dialed Stan. "Stan...there was a complication...she is back in surgery...yeah." Marshall hung up. He didn't want to go into details. All of his reading and knowledge of absurd facts, he knew exactly what was happening. In this moment, he wished he didn't.

Stan arrived fifteen minutes after hanging up with Marshall. He walked into Mary's room and saw Marshall still on the floor, leaned up against the wall. "Marshall, what happened?"

"PE." His voice strained. "The doctor thinks she threw a clot, a common risk with the injuries she sustained. The clot causes a pulmonary embolism which can be fatal if not detected quickly. Risk is higher dependent upon the severity of the damage from injury."

Stan at times, wished Marshall wasn't as knowledgeable as he was. This was one of those times. "They caught it quickly...she will be fine." Stan wasn't sure he believed his words. How much could her body take. Marshall was thinking the exact same thing.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Yes I am evil...you didn't honestly think I would make it that easy did you ;)_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: I do not own In Plain Sight and this is strictly for non-profit entertainment value._

Moving An Unmovable Object

"Mr. Mann?" The doctor called out for Marshall, who was staring out the window next to a sleeping Stan. Marshall braced himself, fearful that she didn't make it. "We got the clot." The doctor smiled and Marshall visibly relaxed. "We put her on blood thinners to prevent reoccurrence. We will be keeping a close eye on her."

"Thank you." Marshall s voice was thick with emotion.

The doctor smiled at him, knowing the man cared deeply for the woman. "She is very lucky. Your partner is a fighter." Marshall couldn't speak, his throat was tight. He just gave the doctor a grateful nod in agreement. "We will bring her back in here shortly." With that the doctor left.

Marshall closed his eyes, silently thanking whoever was listening for keeping her with him. He reached over and shook Stan awake. Stan was instantly alert, looking over at Marshall. "She's ok."

Stan smiled. "Told you. Woman is too stubborn to go anywhere."

A few minutes later, Mary was rolled into the room, both men relieved to see her.

"We were talking before this happened, she wanted us to go back home." Marshall paused, tearing his eyes away from Mary to look at Stan. "I am not leaving without her."

Stan knew it before he said it. "You are not saying anything, I don't already know." Stan looked over at Mary. "I do have to get back soon though."

"Thank you." Marshall could never express, how grateful he was to have a boss like Stan.

"As soon as she is able, we can make arrangement to fly her to a facility closer to home to recover." Stan had already started the process. "What about Jinx and Brandi?"

Marshall winced at the idea of those watching or visiting her. "Let's leave them out of this, unless Mary asks otherwise."

Stan nodded. He honestly didn't like her mother, but the sister really was trying to get her act together after the disaster last year. "I'm going to check into the office and take care of a few things. You ok here?"

"Yeah, thanks Stan." Marshall barely got the words past his lips. He kept his eyes locked on Mary. He was relieved to have her here, knowing she was alright. He held her hand, occasionally bringing it to his lips to brush a brief kiss to it. He knew without a doubt he could not survive without her, nor would he want to. He was so lost in thought, he didn't see her looking at him.

Her eyes took in his tired form. Circles under his eyes, his hair messy and stubble starting to show. "Marshall?"

His attention snapped to her and he smiled. "Hey...you really need to stop scaring me."

"Sorry..." Her voice was soft and she honestly felt bad for worrying him.

"Not your fault." His voice was soft. "Well if I wanted to fault you...why the hell did you turn the car?"

Mary felt a pang in her chest. "I...made a decision to protect you and the witness." Her voice was but a whisper.

"So sacrificing yourself, seemed like a good idea..." He was frustrated and knew he shouldn't take it out on her. Her heart rate picked up and he immediately felt bad. "Shhh...no... I'm sorry, please calm down Mare." Mary closed her eyes, which now had tears slipping from them. "Mare, I'm an ass. I'm sorry." He paused taking a breath. "You just scared me." She didn't say anything at first, just kept her eyes closed trying to reign in her emotions. "Mare, look at me...please?"

She kept her eyes closed and let out a shuddering breath. "I can't lose you." She looked at him and the emotion conveyed in her eyes, rocked him.

"And you think I can handle losing you?" His voice cracked, his eyes glassy. "Mare, you might not want to hear this...but I love you and not just as a friend. I cannot lose you." Each word punctuated to emphasize how much he meant them.

Mary let out a sob, Marshall stood up giving her an awkward hug trying not to hurt her. He rested his forehead against hers. "I love you too." She uttered the words in a broken whisper.

He sucked in a breath and his eyes snapped open. "What?" His voice a strangled whisper, the emotion palpable.

She opened her eyes, looking into his. "I love you too."

He felt his heart pound and crashed his lips on hers. She kissed back, moaned half with passion half pained. Marshall pulled away smiling sheepishly. "Sorry, I will be more gentle."

"Only till I am healed up cowboy..." Her voice husky and frustrated at their current limitations, he leaned forward kissing her lightly. "I hope you know what you are getting yourself into."

Marshall grinned. "Looking forward to it."


End file.
